


Forever Young

by serpensyne



Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempt at Humor, Best Friends Huening Kai & Kang Taehyun, Developing Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Kang Taehyun is Bad at Feelings, Kang Taehyun-Centric, Love Confessions, M/M, Requited Love, Sweetheart Huening Kai
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-23 13:54:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30056472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serpensyne/pseuds/serpensyne
Summary: Taehyun wouldn't mind dying as long as it meant he could spend eternity with Huening Kai.[“Why? Do you not love me?” He grimaced, as if the thought was the worst thing in the entire world.Taehyun blushed at the accusation, before quickly shutting it down. “N-No, that’s not what I mean. Of course I do.” He slightly whispered.“Okay then, say it.”“What?”“Tell me that you love me.”“I just did!”“No, you said ‘of course I do’. That is not ‘I love you, Huening Kai’.” He pouted once more, crossing his arms.]
Relationships: Huening Kai & Kang Taehyun, Huening Kai/Kang Taehyun
Kudos: 29





	Forever Young

**Author's Note:**

> the summary makes it sounds very serious, but i promise this fic is honestly light and fluffy! taehyun and kai are just bad at expressing their feelings, which leads to (you guess it) angst.
> 
> with that being said, i hope you enjoy!

The silence between the two was suffocating. There were so many words that needed to be said, but the fear that resided in both of the boys kept them from being brave enough to start the conversation. Neither wanted to face the reality of the future, nor wanted to shatter the illusion that nothing was ever going to change. For just a little while longer, they could pretend like everything was perfect. For just a little while longer, they could stare at the stars and not worry about how much time, albeit very limited, they actually had left.

Sighing against the rough grass, Taehyun blinked a few times, shifting between looking at the sky and the other boy next to him. He wished it was easier to break the silence, he wished it hadn’t been so hard to start the conversation that he knew needed to be had. In all honesty, he’d been pushing off speaking to the other about the situation all summer. Now it was their last day together before they would both be going off to college, the last day they would see each other for a very long time.

To say Taehyun was freaking out was an understatement. He was worrying about their relationship, what it meant and how they were going to handle the distance for the last few months, and seeing how nonchalant Kai was about the whole thing made him stress even more. Whenever Taehyun actually got the courage to say anything, Kai would just shut it down with a “ _Oh, we have the whole summer together! We can worry about that later_ ”, or “ _Taehyun, what happened to living in the present?_ ”. After ignoring it for the last few months, he had hoped eventually they would finally talk about the elephant in the room, but here they were. They sat together in silence, unsure of how to address the lines they had been blurring, unsure of how to define what Taehyun thought was undefinable at this point.

Being childhood friends and knowing each other for an extremely long time, somewhere along the lines of their friendship, it grew further and became something more serious. Whether it be a touch that lingered a little too long, or a glance that was burdened with the implication of something more, their relationship had evolved into one that wasn’t easily defined by labels. While that might have worked for them both in the past, now Taehyun was unsure of where they stood together, and he needed to know before he left. And as stupid as it might have sounded, he was scared.

He didn’t want whatever they had to end. He didn’t want their relationship to be over before it ever even began. All he could feel was regret when he thought back to their time spent together, and he wished he had been more straightforward. He wished he had been honest with the other and said what needed to be said. Now, on their last night together, Taehyun was scared the words would continue to go unsaid, or rather the feelings he had so long ignored wouldn’t be reciprocated. He couldn’t stop thinking about all of the what-ifs, all of the could be and could have been, and he couldn’t help but feel sorrowful for all the time that he wasted wishing for something more. He often wondered if Kai felt the same, he wondered if he was as conflicted about their situation as he was. He sighed once more, feeling the weight of everything but nothing at all at the same time.

He shifted against the warm body next to him, glancing over for the hundredth time. Kai looked ethereal underneath the moonlight, his soft features illuminated by the light that burned from the city. Taehyun thought he would never get tired of looking at him. He could stare forever and always find something new that made Kai beautiful. He wasn’t sure if this is what love was, but he knew that whatever he felt for the other came close. Suddenly, he placed his hand over Kai’s, feeling much more confident than before. Kai glanced over, shooting him a questioning look. Taehyun cleared his throat, before blushing softly.

“I don’t want to say goodbye.” He said, almost as loud as a whisper. “I don’t want to say goodbye to you, Kai.” He repeated, softly rubbing his fingers over Kai’s knuckles.

“Who said you have to say goodbye? I’m still here, Taehyun.” He reassured him, smiling warmly.

“Life. The future. Everything.” He sighed again, before inching closer to Kai’s body, resting his head against his shoulder. “I’m leaving tomorrow. This will be gone. Everything’s going to change, and I don’t want it to. I don’t want to lose this, lose us.” He wasn’t sure why he was blurting everything out, but he was glad he finally said what he had been thinking for the last few months. 

Kai nodded as he spoke, shifting his position to hold Taehyun’s hand. He then rested his head against the others, biting his lip as he tried to figure out what to say. Rarely was Kai ever speechless or silent, but he didn’t want to say the wrong thing. He thought for a few more moments, before finally opening up.

“Just because we won’t see each other doesn’t mean we’ll stop being friends.” He shrugged slightly. “I mean- we can make it work. I want to.” Taehyun rolled his eyes at this.

“You say that, but I’m going to be busy. You’ll be busy, too. And… I guess I’m just frustrated.” Taehyun moved slightly to sit up, pulling his hand away. “We’re not kids anymore, we were brought together by circumstance. What if neither of us care enough to keep our-,” Taehyun danced around the word ‘friendship’, “...this going? It’s easy when we see each other every day, but soon it’ll be like once every few months.” He looked towards the ground, unable to face the other.

“Hyunnie, don’t say that.” Kai frowned. “Do you really think we both don’t care enough? I mean, I can’t speak for you but I certainly care about you more than anything else.” He sat up, brushing his hair out of his face. “So, if anything, I’m more offended that you think I don’t care about you.”

“I didn’t say that, I just, I’m worried. I don’t like change, you know that.” He bit his lip nervously.

“I know.” Kai hummed, taking back Taehyun’s hand. “But, it’ll be a good change. There is so much more out there than just little old me.” He said in a teasing tone. “And I promise I’ll make an effort. If I go for months on end without seeing you, I think I’ll go crazy. No one could ever replace my Taehyunnie.” He grinned, resting his head against the other.

While this should have reassured Taehyun, it just made him feel worse. “Yeah, your Taehyunnie.” He replied dryly, moving away again.

Kai frowned again, crossing his arms. “What’s wrong?”

 _So much_ , Taehyun thought. _So much is wrong_ , but all that came out was a simple, “Nothing. I’m fine.” _Real convincing._

“You know you can tell me anything, right?”

“I know.” Taehyun sighed again.

“...So?” 

“So what?”

“Are you going to tell me?” 

Taehyun thought for a few moments, trying to decide what to say. He was tired by this point, and wasn’t sure if he could handle expressing all his emotions. He certainly didn’t want to spill his heart out, but he knew it would be more torture if he just kept it in and never got closure on their relationship. 

He turned back to Kai, unsure of what to make of his expression. “I just… what are we?”

“What do you mean?” Kai looked somewhat puzzled.

“What do you mean what do I mean?” Taehyun rolled his eyes, shifting away again. “Kai… what am I to you?”

“Taehyun…” He thought for a few seconds. “You’re my best friend. You’re the person I care about the most, you know that. I- I love you.”

“Don’t say that if you don’t mean it. Not in the way I want you to.” Taehyun responded coldly.

“What do you mean? Of course I mean it!” Kai pouted. “I would never tell someone I loved them if I didn’t mean it. And I love you, I mean that.” He thought, before grimacing as if the thought was the worst thing in the entire world. “Why? Do you not love me?”

Taehyun blushed at the accusation, before quickly shutting it down. “N-No, that’s not what I mean. Of course I do.” He slightly whispered. 

“Okay then, say it.” 

“What?”

“Tell me that you love me.”

“I just did!”

“No, you said ‘of course I do’. That is not ‘I love you Huening Kai’.” He pouted once more, crossing his arms.

“Kai…” He groaned. “I… I love you.” He said, muffled against his sweatshirt.

“Sorry, what was that? I couldn’t hear you.” 

“Don’t make me say it again!” He blushed deeper. “It’s embarrassing.”

“Why? I really couldn’t hear it!”

“I love you.” He said again, a little louder but somewhat inaudible.

“Come again? Sorry there must be something wrong with my ears.” He teased.

“Huening Kai, I love you! Okay? I love you.” He finally said, a little less than a shout. “And that’s what I’m saying. I love you so much, and you stress me out. I just want to enjoy the time we spend together, but I can’t because I can’t stop worrying.”

“I stress you out?” He frowned again, and then placed his hand on Taehyun’s shoulder. “I never want to do that, Tyunnie.”

“It’s not you, it’s just- us. Our situation. I like you, a lot.” He looked at Kai, honestly trying not to cry. “But whenever I try to talk about what we are, you just shut me down. I’m afraid of this.” Taking Kai’s hand, he looked down on it. “I like you so much and it hurts. I never want to leave. I don’t want to leave you Kai, I wish we could stay together forever. And I didn’t want to waste our last day together and ruin it by talking about it.”

“Oh, Taehyun.” He sighed, moving closer to him. “I- I’m sorry. You’re right, I do. It’s just that, I’ve never been in a real relationship before, you know? Like, like… dating.” He cleared his throat a bit. “And I guess I just, I just never wanted to make anything weird between us.” Taehyun didn’t know what he expected, but it surely wasn’t that. “And you shouldn’t worry so much. I know it’s hard but I promise you that I’ll make time for you. Whether it’s video calling or texting, I’ll always be there. And we can make up some days to see each other. I’m not going to just give up on you. On us.” He beamed at Taehyun, before cupping his cheek softly. “I never want loving me to be painful, Hyunnie. Because loving you is the best thing I’ve ever done.” 

Taehyun was at a loss for words, and could feel tears start to run down his cheeks. “Oh baby…” Kai frowned and wiped them away softly. “Don’t cry. I’m sorry. Don’t cry.” He repeated, gently rubbing his thumb over his cheek. “Don’t cry.”

Taehyun sniffled a few times, resting against the other’s hand. “Do you really mean that?” He whispered.

“Yes, baby. I do.” He brought his other hand up, now cupping both cheeks and holding Taehyun’s head in his hands. “Whenever I look at you, it feels like it’s the first time we met. Something about you is much different than anyone else, you know? Whenever I’m with you, I never regret anything. Time spent with you is never wasted, especially right now. If I could, I would spend every minute of every day with you, but I think you’d actually go crazy.” He teased, continuing to massage his cheek gently. “I would go to the ends of the world with you if it would make you happy, Kang Taehyun. I love you, so much.” 

And with that, Taehyun burst out sobbing. He fell into Kai’s chest, hiding his face against his sweatshirt. Kai wrapped his arms around Taehyun, pulling him in tight and close. He rubbed soft circles against his back, resting his own head against the others. He repeated the same mantras of “ _don’t cry_ ” and “ _it’s alright_ ” followed by a few “ _baby_ ”’s. Kai then laid back, pulling Taehyun with him. He continued to pat his back, trying to soothe his tears as they laid against the grass.

“I’m sorry.” Taehyun spoke eventually, his throat sounding sore from his crying. He wiped away his tears, resting against the others chest.

“Don’t be sorry.” Kai whimpered, looking at Taehyun.

“I got your sweatshirt all wet.” He laughed softly, and then looked up at Kai.

“Oh, who cares about that.”

“It’s embarrassing, I didn’t want to cry.” He sniffled again.

“Well, if it means anything, you are very pretty when you cry.” He grinned, wiping away the last of the others tears. “But I never want to be the reason that you’re sad, or crying, ever again.” 

Taehyun rolled his eyes, falling into a comfortable silence for the first time in a while. He needed time to define what he wanted to say to Kai, how he wanted to respond to his confession. “I never knew you were such a romantic.”

“Well, what can I say. You make me feel some type of way.” He winked, moving his hand down to the others waist. “I could go on if you’d like?” He smirked.

“No, please, god I think I’ll start crying again.” He giggled. “I wouldn’t mind dying right now. My last moments on Earth in your arms? I think that sounds pretty good.”

“Damn, morbid.” He chuckled.

“I just mean…” He laughed at himself, at the absurdity. “As long as I’m with you, I don’t care what happens. I love you, Kai.”

“Does this mean you’re my boyfriend now?” Kai giggled slightly, pulling Taehyun as close as he could against his body. 

Taehyun’s face got hot at the question, but he rolled his eyes, trying to remain cool. “Yes, I’ll be your boyfriend.”

“Does that mean I can kiss you?”

“God- yes, just kiss me, idiot.” He responded, flustered.

Kai smirked at him, before cupping his cheek and tilting his head up to meet his gaze. He glanced between staring at him head on, and looking at his lips. Finally, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against the other’s.

Taehyun pressed into the kiss, their lips soft against each other. Taehyun could feel the fire within him that had been burning for so long, he could feel every regret he ever had finally leave. Taehyun shifted his head, deepening the kiss further. He moved hand to Kai’s cheek, and pressed his body against his. He knew immediately he would never get tired of kissing Huening Kai, just like how he felt about everything else that had to do with the other. 

Eventually, one of them pulled away, ending their connection. Taehyun huffed softly, his face hot and red. Kai looked the same, but had a smug grin plastered on his face. Taehyun rolled his eyes once more, and then leaned to rest against the taller one's chest.

“Was it everything you dreamed of, and more?” Kai teased.

“You’re so annoying.” He groaned.

“You love me.” He kissed his forehead.

Taehyun hummed. “Yeah, I do.” 

For the first time in months, Taehyun had nothing to worry about. They would be okay. Things would be okay. What did he have to worry about when he knew _the_ Huening Kai loved him and only him? He believed everything he had said that night. They would survive, as long as they wanted to.

**Author's Note:**

> i'm honestly really proud of this! i'm not the best at dialogue, and especially trying humor, but i hope i got it across! tyunning will honestly be the death of me, i love these two and their relationship so much.
> 
> the title, and really the whole idea for this fic, comes from forever young by blackpink! i was looking for prompts everywhere, and couldn't really find one i enjoyed, until this came on shuffle! i've always loved that song, and after reading the lyrics i wanted to try to convey the message through a fic. it's not exactly directly tied to the song, but you can clearly tell i drew inspiration from it, specifically in kai's confession as well as the summary and what taehyun says at the end, about not caring if he died because honestly there is nothing better than being in huening kai's arms. anyways, if you haven't heard it, give it a listen! it's one of my favorites
> 
> i'm so thankful for anyone who read this! i really hope you enjoyed, and feedback/comments/kudos would really be appreicated! stay safe everyone <3


End file.
